DEVESLU, Romania, May 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The first Aegis
Ashore site in Europe, based on
proven Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) technology, is now actively
monitoring the skies of southern Europe for ballistic missile threats.
The U.S. Navy is operationally certified the Aegis Ashore site
at Deveslu Air Force Base in Romania. This officially fulfills Phase II of
the European Phased Adaptive Approach, a plan to protect deployed
U.S. forces and our European allies from ballistic missile attack.
This milestone was marked during a ceremony on May 12 in Romania. The certification, comes at the same
time as construction commences at the second European Aegis Ashore
site, in Poland. A
groundbreaking ceremony will be held in Poland on May
13.
"It's fitting that work on the Poland site begins just as Aegis Ashore's
important mission in Romania
officially commences," said Brendan
Scanlon, director, Lockheed Martin Aegis Ashore programs.
"The lessons learned and incredible teamwork that brought the Aegis
Combat System ashore will lead to even greater cost-savings and
efficiencies for the Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Navy and the
sailors who protect the country and its allies."
Lockheed Martin received the contract for Aegis Ashore in
Romania in 2010, which heavily
leveraged the proven shipboard Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
(BMD) system. The aggressive delivery timeline was achieved in 2015
thanks to the minimal development required to establish the
on-shore system, innovations in modularity, and teamwork. The
Corporation leveraged lessons learned from its more than 40 years
of Aegis experience to fulfill the United
States' desire to conduct new missions with existing
capabilities.
The central component of the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis BMD
Combat System is the SPY-1 radar; the most widely-fielded naval
phased array radar in the world. The Aegis system and SPY-1 radar
provide the U.S. and allied nations with advanced surveillance,
anti-air warfare and missile defense capabilities.
Elements of the Poland Aegis Ashore Weapon System, including SPY
arrays are currently under production by Lockheed Martin. The U.S.
Missile Defense Agency is expected this spring to award a contract
for the installation and test of the Aegis Ashore system.
As a proven world leader in systems integration and development
of air and missile defense systems and technologies, Lockheed
Martin delivers high-quality missile defense solutions that protect
citizens, critical assets and deployed forces from current and
future threats. The company's experience spans missile design and
production, hit-to-kill capabilities, infrared seekers, command and
control/battle management, and communications, precision pointing
and tracking optics, radar and signal processing, as well as
threat-representative targets for missile defense tests.
For additional information, visit our
website: www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/aegis/aegis-ashore.html.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and
services.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160512/366915
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141118/159313LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aegis-ashore-certified-navy-base-protecting-southern-europe-from-missile-threats-300267671.html
SOURCE Lockheed Martin